


Forgotten Boy

by ExistentialFish



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Again, Featuring Techno's rocket launcher, Hope I wrote him okay RIP, Mild elements of horror I guess, Phil actually got a large part in something I wrote this time? What??, Tommy drew the short stick in this fic, angst sort of?, bittersweet ending maybe, but it's badly written sooo, so uh just read the story I guess who needs tags, sorry I'm bad at tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExistentialFish/pseuds/ExistentialFish
Summary: There's a structure in the woods, and something in it is hungry. Luckily, someone's there to help the unlucky travelers who've wandered into it's clutches as best he can.Or, Techno, Phil, and Wilbur are all nearly drawn to their deaths on separate occasions. Thanks to this, they all meet young Tommy. Wilbur promises to come back, Phil tries to bring him home, and Techno does what's necessary.
Relationships: TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 325





	Forgotten Boy

**Author's Note:**

> What's this? Me posting oneshots within days of each other despite an increasing workload because my mental health said fuck you, time to either procrastinate or break down? More likely than you'd think.

Wilbur’s always been adventurous and a little bit reckless, so when he stumbles upon a very large, perfectly circular hole in the ground, of course he decides to go down and investigate. Especially when there's even a handy staircase built into its walls for him to use. 

Down Wilbur travels, walking in a twisting spirally loop, carefully stepping over crumbling stone and avoiding holes in the railing. He reaches the bottom and looks up at the sky far above his head, then looks around the ground floor. There’s a large, faded black symbol painted on the ground and bits of rubble are strewn across the ground. A long narrow hallway stretches deep into the earth opposite from the foot of the stairs, and Wilbur’s eyes are drawn to it. He enters the tunnel and walks toward the old wooden door he can see at its end. Thick moss cushions his steps and golden light seeps from the cracks of the door. Something behind the door calls to him, entrances him, and for a moment Wilbur forgets who and were he is. All that exists for a few seconds is the door and Wilbur needs to know what lies behind it. Something in the back of his mind whispers that he shouldn’t be doing this but he’s barely aware enough to acknowledge it, let alone listen to it. He reaches out towards the door, and the world seems to hold its breath as his fingers nearly brush the handle.

Then, a hand slips into his. Wilbur’s other arm is still outstretched but he drops it when the gentle drags him back into reality. He turns and finds himself looking at a young boy, who looks to be maybe thirteen or fourteen, who has appeared behind him. His gaze is fixed on the wooden door and his hand is clutched tightly in Wilbur’s. After a moment, he looks up at Wilbur and frowns.

“You’re pretty stupid, huh?” he says it less like a question and more like a fact. 

“Excuse me?”

“You wanted to go through the door. Don’t, it's not worth it.”

Wilbur glances over his shoulder at the door. The hallway is much shorter than it first seemed to be, and the door looks completely normal, light no longer spilling from it’s edges. “And why is that?”

“It’s a magic door, idiot. It eats people.”

“It _eats_ people?”

The boy nods, a wicked grin splitting his face. “Curious people open the door, and broken spirits come out. It eats their souls. It’d crush you like a twig, little bitch boy.”

Wilbur scoffs. “You sure have an active imagination, for a gremlin child. But sure, I’ll bite. How do you know it eats people’s souls?”

The boy’s smile fades, and he suddenly looks very lost. “Because it ate mine too.”

Something about the haunted look in the boy’s empty eyes sends a shiver down Wilbur’s spine. He glances back at the door and swallows nervously. He really doesn’t want to open the door anymore, and can’t remember why he wanted to in the first place.

The boy tugs at his hand. “Come on, it’s a long walk back up.” Wilbur lets the boy lead him up, watching the child more than the scenery now. There’s something hollow in his gaze and his hand in Wilbur’s is oddly cold. His clothes are scuffed like he’s been out in the woods all day, and he wears a red bandanna around his neck. As they walk, the boy hums a little song. Wilbur joins in and the way the boy’s expression lights up is enough for Wilbur to take the time to sit down in the grass once they reach the top of the stairs and take out his guitar. He strums some chords and sings a silly song – it’s nonsense, but the boy seems to love it, cheering and butting in with his own peculiar lyrics as Wilbur plays. 

Once the song is finished Wilbur straps the guitar onto his back once more and stands up. He smiles and extends his hand toward the boy. “Are you out here on your own? You can come with me, if you want. I’m sure Techno and Phil won’t mind you hanging around.”

The boy gazes wistfully at his hand but shakes his head and steps back. Wilbur absently notices his feet never left the stone paving in front of the stairway. “I can’t,” he says simply. “I have to stay here.”

Wilbur frowns but nods slowly. “Alright. Well, I’ll come visit you then. A kid like you shouldn't be left alone too long. I’ll bring you a jacket, too. It should be getting cold soon.”

The boy looks sad but smiles anyway. Wilbur misses the bright, genuine grin he wore while singing along to Wilbur’s guitar. “That sounds nice. I’ll be waiting. Don’t forget, bitch,” he says, and it sounds too forced to be just a joke.

Wilbur waves at him, then turns to head back the way he came, making a mental note to come back before the week’s end. 

Wilbur arrives back at camp feeling fuzzy, and he has the nagging feeling that he’s forgotten something. He brushes it aside as his imagination. He’s always had an excellent memory, after all. Later, when Phil invites him to accompany him on a month-long journey, Wilbur readily agrees. They leave two days later, and Wilbur never spares a second glance towards woods.

\-----

It’s a nice spring evening when Phil fucks up.

He’s walking through the woods looking for the plant they need for a burn Techno got when he feels a strange pull towards a clearing up ahead. He follows and stumbles on a large stone cylinder dug out in the ground. He sees a spiral staircase hugging its walls but he doesn’t have enough time to walk all the way down and back up just to check it out, the sun is due to set soon. Still, something within him is deeply curious as to what’s at the bottom, so he stands at the edge to try to peer down at it. The rock felt stable when Phil first stepped on it, but it crumbles away without warning and suddenly Phil is falling, tumbling, plummeting towards the bottom, stone rushing up to meet him. He fumbles, but manages to open his elytra in the knick of time. It slows his descent enough to stop him from snapping on impact, but he still hits the grounds hard. Phil feels at least two bones break, and his right leg is fucked for sure. His whole body aches and his head is swimming and swirling to the point he feels nauseous. Still, he knows he has to pull himself up, and he really does try, but his injuries scream at him to stay still, and the moment his eyes land on a hallway across from him the desire to run fades away.

There’s a door at the end of the short hallway, old and weathered and creepy as fuck. There doesn’t seem to be anyone there, yet the door slowly creaks open, revealing pitch black on its other side. Shadows, unnatural and writhing like snakes, slither out of its depths. They creep over the walls and floors and reach for Phil as if preparing to pull him back in with them. By now black spots and pain are dotting his vision, but Phil still tries to reach for his sword where its lying next to his bag that had fallen with him. He almost makes it, but he nearly blacks out with his fingertips still inches away from the handle.

Phil thinks he’s done for, but then pale fingers wrap around the hilt and lift it up. Phil sees a blurry figure with blond hair move into the hallway, sword in hand, and start to swing. Then, Phil blacks out. 

Phil wakes up in pretty awful condition. He’s barely aware of what’s happening around him for the first few days. He knows a fuzzy shape has been caring for him. He knows they’ve kept him warm and dry, that they dragged him under the stairwell to keep him out of the spring rain, and that sometimes they start a fire for him nearby. He knows they’ve been rationing the food in Phil’s bag and that they pull it apart to feed to him in small pieces, and he knows that after it rains they help him sit up and hold a container to his lips to make him drink. He knows sometimes the mysterious door creaks open and the shadows creep forth, and he knows that when that happens all he has to do is shout in alarm and the figure will appear to fend them off. Aside from this knowledge, Phil spends the next few days in terrifying uncertainty.

Luckily, the ache in his skull recedes over time and the world slowly comes back into focus. Once Phil’s lucid enough to be aware of his surroundings, he’s horrified to realize the stranger who’s been caring for him is only a child. The boy can’t be older than fourteen but Phil’s sure he’s the same person – he recognizes the messy blond hair and the red bandanna around his neck. The poor kid’s pale and looks exhausted, and the dark bags under his eyes seem to get darker every time he appears.

He seems surprised when Phil’s eyes focus on him fully for the first time. 

“What?” The boy asks, bluntly.

“You’re the one who’s been taking care of me? What are you doing here?”

The boy just draws into himself defensively, so Phil tries a different tactic. “What’s your name, son?”

The boy blinks, looking surprised. He thinks for a moment, and Phil wonders how long it’s been since someone asked him for his name, if he has to think that hard to remember it. “Tommy,” the boy says, and the way he smiles at just getting to share it makes Phil’s heart hurt. He promises himself silently, then, that he’s gong to bring this boy home with him and make sure Tommy is never left alone for so long ever again.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he says, and Tommy grins, looking very pleased with himself.

“Of course big man. I really am pretty great, huh?”

Phil laughs and holds his had out for Tommy to shake. “I’m Phil, by the way. Now, can you help me up? I think I’m good enough to walk now, if you let me lean on you. My camp isn’t too far, and my friends will come help us if we shout when we get near.”

Tommy’s smile fades and he shakes his head. “We can’t do that, I’m sorry. Really, I genuinely am. But you’ll have to wait until your leg heals.”

“That could be months,” Phil protests. Tommy shrugs, a grim look on his face.

“Just get some rest. Shout if you need me.”

Phil sighs but does as he’s told, waking later to the sound and sight of Tommy fighting off the shadows again and slamming the door shut. He shudders, realizing it wasn't a fever dream, and makes a note to put up caution signs around the area once he gets out.

The next two weeks pass similarly. Tommy isn't always present, and he seems to get more exhausted each time he appears at Phil’s side. Phil feels terrible for putting so much responsibility on the young boy’s shoulders, but he knows he’s lucky to have him. Without Tommy’s help, Phil would be long dead.

Tommy is largely withdrawn, but over time Phil manages to coax a little information out of him. He learns that Tommy doesn't know how old he is anymore, but that he’s adamant he’s not a child. He learns Tommy loves music, and he often misses his old discs from home. He learns he has a group of close friends, and he tells Phil countless stories about them when the boredom gets to be too much. He learns, most worryingly of all, that Tommy is a fragile boy - Phil can’t wait to take the poor kid home and smother him with comfort for the rest of his life - after he makes the mistake of asking where Tommy’s friends are and if they could help the duo.

Tommy’s face falls and his lips begin to tremble almost immediately as he blinks back tears. “They can’t help us Phil,” he whispers. “They won’t.”

Phil frowns. “Tommy-”

“It’s the door. That stupid fucking door. We were so dumb, Phil. We heard noises, voices. It was cool! We came down to check it out, and Wisp dared me to open the door but I was gonna anyway, ‘cause I’m a big man and I wanted to be the first to see the cool shit, s-so I opened the door, and-”

Tommy bites back a small sob and Phil reaches over to pull him into a one-armed hug. “Those creepy fuckin’ tendril things grabbed at us, so I beat ‘em with a branch and told the gang to run. I was tryna hold it off as long as I could because Tubbo- Tubbo said they were going to bring back help, but they- they never came back. I think… I think they forgot about me, Phil. A-and I just- I just hate that part the most.” 

Phil’s heart squeezes painfully and he draws the shaking child even closer to him. “I’m so sorry Toms. I won’t let that happen again, I promise you.”

Tommy laughs hollowly but presses closer to Phil’s side. “Everyone forgets, I think. You know, I really like you Phil. For once, I’m a little glad you won’t remember this when it’s all over.”

Phil frowns more but stays quiet, opting to just hold the boy close until they both fall asleep.

Phil wakes the next morning to Tommy excitedly shaking him. 

“Some huge branches fell down here in the storm last night! I think I can make ‘em into crutches.”

Phil immediately sits up, hope surging through him. “Really? That’s great news.”

Tommy nods and drags the branches over. Together, they spend the day whittling them into a decent enough shape for Phil to hopefully make it back to camp. They celebrate that night by starting a fire, and Phil lets himself eat extra rations and fondly smiles as he watches Tommy scratch his name into one of the sticks with a knife. There’s a little bit of extra life in the kid’s empty eyes tonight. Phil can’t wait to draw that same life out everyday from now on. Wilbur and Techno will love him, Phil thinks, and he hopes Tommy will like living with them too.

Phil sleeps well that night, and the next morning he’s filled with renewed energy despite the pain that hits him as he shakily stands and balances his weight on one leg. Tommy helps him up the long, twisting staircase, and once they reach the top Phil tests out the makeshift crutches. They’re far from perfect, and he’s already feeling a little dizzy from the pain, but he thinks he can make it back to camp.

He turns to Tommy and grins. “Well? What are you waiting for, let’s go.”

Tommy shoves his hands in his pockets and smiles regretfully. “Good luck out there Phil. I’ll miss you.”

“What? Tommy, no. Come on, you don't have to stay here, come with me.”

“Sorry, no can do big man.”

Phil frowns and hobbles over to him. “Tommy, there’s no way I’m leaving you here alone. Now come on-” Phil reaches for Tommy’s arm and tries to pull him onto the grass. The next thing he knows, he’s standing alone in the woods not far from home, completely at a loss for how he got there.

He glances around, puzzled as he tries to remember why he’s in the forest and where he’d come from. He soon sighs and gives up, moving on to struggle back to camp.

When he gets there, Techno and Wilbur fuss over him and Phil sheepishly tells them he really has no idea how he got injured, how he made the crutches, or even how long he’s been gone for. Wilbur and Techno share a concerned look but don’t push the subject further. That night they sit together by the fire, and Phil relishes in the feeling of safety and comfort. He can’t help but feel, though, like something’s missing. He wonders if it has something to do with the name etched onto one of the makeshift crutches he’d hobbled into camp on.

He spots Techno running his fingers over the name in the wood and frowning, but pushes his worries to the side. Tonight, Phil just wants to relax. Phil’s sure whoever helped him is just fine. He looks up at the starry sky and smiles, hoping wherever and whoever they are, they know how grateful he truly is.

Phil falls asleep easily, and when he wakes in the morning, Techno is gone.

\-----

It had been strange enough when Wilbur couldn't answer Phil’s question about how his day had gone last fall, and he’d looked distant and confused. It was stranger still when someone tried to hire Techno to hunt a monster in the woods that, legend had it, had been picking off villagers and travelers alike for generations. But it was too strange to ignore when Phil showed up after over a month of being missing, looking like shit and lacking a single memory of where he’d been. The final straw was when they discovered a name, ‘Tommy,’ written on one of his crutches and Phil neither remembered who the name belonged to nor was worried about where the person who presumably may have saved his life might be.

Phil had nearly died. Techno wasn't letting whatever might be out there get a third chance to steal away his family.

He sets out at dawn, armed with potions and his strongest weapons. He follows Phil’s tracks to the best of his ability and eventually finds a strange structure leading down into the earth. His attention is immediately drawn to it and he starts walking down the stairs into its depths without a second thought. 

He’s torn out of his daze when he collides partway down the stairs with a kid. The boy has blond hair and a red bandanna around his neck, and his expression holds a bone-deep tiredness Techno is much too familiar with.

The boy sighs tiredly. “Another one? Already?”

“Another?” Techno leans over the railing and sees what looks to be some of Phil’s travel gear scattered on the floor below. He looks back at the boy. “Are you, by any chance, Tommy?”

Surprise crosses the kid’s expression, followed closely by confusion. “I… yeah, I am. Did Phil send you?” He sounds so hopeful, and Techno feels a little bad remembering Phil’s lack of reaction to discovering Tommy’s name.

“In a way,” he replies. Tommy’s blank eyes land on Techno’s gear and understanding dawns on his expression. He steps to the side, and Techno continues down the stairs. He hears Tommy following, footsteps light.

“So what am I dealin’ with here?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Techno sighs. “Just answer the question kid. I can take care of myself, trust me.”

“I’m not a child,” Tommy bites back. “If you’re really sure… it sleeps behind that door. It’ll drag you in if you’re not careful though, and if it surrounds you, it’ll eat you whole.”

Techno nods, then pauses at the foot of the stairs. He thinks he already knows the answer, but after what the kid has supposedly done for his family already, Techno hopes he’s wrong for once. “And how do you know that?”

Tommy smiles meekly. Techno’s reminded that he’s just a kid – or was just a kid, rather. “You look like a smart enough guy, I think you’ve got it figured out already. Don’t try to tell Phil, okay? There’s nothing he could’ve done anyway.”

Techno nods and reaches out to pat the boy’s shoulder, once. “You want to help bring this fucker down?” he hefts his crossbow up, a manic grin on his face. “For closure, of course.”

Tommy cackles and darts past him to the hallway. At the end of the hallway lies a door, and Techno can hear something banging against the wood. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Techno readies himself and Tommy approaches the door, his body flickering a little as he gets closer. He rests his hand on the handle and glances back at Techno, waiting for confirmation. Techno jerks his head in a nod once and Tommy smiles, closes his eyes, and opens the door.

Shadowy tentacles burst forward immediately, but Techno is ready. He fires one, two rockets shots. Color bursts in the depths of whatever lays beyond the door and a shriek rocks the stone walls around him. Techno pauses to slice back a few shadowy appendages that managed to reach him, then fires three more shots into the room. The inky blackness writhes and thrashes, but falls still on the final shot. Slowly, its unmoving form disappears into thin air.

Techno pauses for a moment. “Tommy?”

Techno gets no reply. Taking that as hopefully a good sign, Techno advances into the room, keeping his sword at the ready. The room’s big and bare and surprisingly lacking of any creepy magic creatures. It is, however, filled with skeletons. Techno doesn’t linger on them and, satisfied the beast is dead, he starts to turn to go. A flash of red catches his eye, however. He sighs and carefully steps into the room, walking to the far wall to kneel down next to a skeleton with a dirty red bandanna still resting around its neck.

“Hey Tommy,” Techno says. He realizes its awkward to talk to a skeleton, but he already started, so why stop? “I bet Phil promised to bring you home. I’m not gonna go that far, but… It feels kinda shitty to just leave you here, and you deserve to get out after helping Phil, and I’m guessin’ Wilbur too, so… yeah.”

Techno unhooks his cape and grimaces slightly before setting it down on the dirty floor and carefully moving the skeleton onto it, wrapping it up and carrying it up out of the cursed pit.

Several hours later, Techno sits before of a fresh grave that was long overdue. He’d found a nice clearing a long ways away from the structure they’d left behind and had dug a grave for the kid. The gravestone he made is simple, as all he knows is the boy’s first name. He tried to make it nice, though, or at least as nice as he could with so little. 

Techno sits in front of the grave for a few hours, and tells the boy about Phil and Wilbur. He isn't sure if Tommy’s spirit is still around, but he figures that if it is, Tommy deserves to know about the people he saved. Eventually, his voice grows hoarse and the sun begins to set, so Techno pushes himself to his feet, and leaves the kid behind.

He returns home and moves on, but never forgets the kid with dead eyes and a mischievous grin. Techno doesn't think he’s all that sentimental of a person, but a part of him can’t help but feel, as he lives out his life alongside Wilbur and Phil, that Tommy’s right there with them. 

Phil and Wilbur live long lives, and because of this, Techno always remembers the forgotten boy.

**Author's Note:**

> Ey let me know what you think, maybe? Thanks for reading to the end, hope you enjoyed. Let me know any comments, critiques, or questions you have please, and have a nice day :)


End file.
